Not applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
This invention relates to article holders and is particularly related to article holders such as are disclosed in our U.S. application for patent Ser. No. 09/460,501, filed Dec. 14, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,382,488 and our U.S. application for patent, Ser. No. 10/035,290, currently pending.
Principal objects of the present invention are to provide an article holder that is readily and easily connected to a variety of support surfaces and that will then receive articles to be secured in place. The articles to be held may include elongate devices such as rifles, fishing poles, shovels and other tools and other articles that will fit between bifurcated arms of the article holder,
Yet other objects of the invention are to provide an article holder usable with or without a holding base and that is particularly suited to attachment to vehicles and even more particularly to bicycles, motorcycles and off-highway vehicles such as all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles.
Still other objects are to provide an article holder with bifurcated arms to receive an article to be held and with cushioning means at the juncture of the arms. Selected gripper structures may be provided on inside surfaces of the arms and elastic bands may be used to overlie a held article. The article holder may be mounted directly to a support surface or may be mounted to a holder base of a holding base system secured to a support surface, such as a vehicle.
Yet other objects are to provide a cushioning means that when depressed by the weight of an article being held will close the bifurcated arms of the holder to more tightly grip the article.
Principal features of the article holder of the invention include a pair of bifurcated resilient arms with a resilient web cushioning interconnecting ends of the arms adjacent to the junction of the arms. The web cushioning is preferably formed of the same resilient material as the arms. However, the web cushioning is constructed of interconnected straps that are thinner than the arms. Consequently, the web cushioning is more flexible than the arms. Outside curved straps of the web cushioning each have one end connected to an arm near a bottom of the arm and the opposite end connected to the web of the bifurcated arms near the junction of the arms. Each of the outside curved arms is curved to project between the bifurcated arms. A central strap of the web cushioning is connected between the outside curved straps and is connected at its opposite ends to the curved outside straps intermediate the ends of the outside straps. The central strap is preferably bowed away from the junction of the arms.
In practice, when an article is positioned between the bifurcated arms and is pushed to compress the web cushioning, the web cushioning not only provides a cushion on which the article rests but also pulls the arms together against the article. This even more securely holds the article in place. A resilient strap placed tightly over the ends of the arms then further locks the article into the holder. Fins, or other gripping devices, may be provided on the inner surfaces of the arms to even more securely hold the article in place between the bifurcated arms.
Additional objects and features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from the following detailed description and drawings.